Wheel.



'PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

-J. THOMSON.

WHEEL.

ABPLIO ATIOH FILED SEPT. 16,1905.

. ran s'rarns PATENT mm.

JOHN THOMSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO TRIDENT TIRE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1&06,

Application filed September 16, 1905: Serial No. 278.705.

of wheels, more particularly such as are adapted for use on automobiles andothervehicles, and especially to the tire ortion or road-bearin portion of such whee s.

Cushione wheels, as is well understood,

usually have their elastic tires applied to their outer peripheries and making contact directly wit the road-surface. It has been pro osed in some cases to provide a metallic shie dfor such a tire in order to protect it from. uncture and from excessive wear, such made u of a succession of in- Tires provided. with such shiel s bein dependent pates.

shields, however, fail to stand the test of long use.- It has also been roposed to provide such wheels outside of t e elastic or cushion portions of the tires with endless annular tires of metal which are intended to save the elastic portions of the tires from excessive wear and to prevent puncture.

The present invent1on is more particularly concerned with wheels of the character last referred to; and it has for its object to provide a wheel of improved construction in which the cushion portion of the tireof any suitable elastic resilient material is interposed between the felly and the solid continuous inelastic bearing-tire of metal in such a manner that all side or wrenchin thrusts shall be borne entirely by the meta tire and the felly to the exclusion of the elastic or cushion portion of the tire, while the metal tire is at the same time perfectly cushioned, and its axial center can be universall shifted with respect to the axial center of t e wheel against the resilient material. The metal tire of course acts as a shield to protect the cushion portion of the tire from injury.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the aceomdpanying drawings, in which it is'illustrate as embodiedin a convenient and practical structure, and in which- Figure} is a partial'view, in side elevation,

'a 'plication of'side plates with inwardly-projecting flanges 'i.

of a wheel which embodies the invention, parts being broken away to illustrate details of construction. Fig. 2 is a view, artly in central section and partly in edge e evatlon,

of the wheel shown in Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is a par tial View, in central section, illustrating a slight modification.'

The hub a and main bod b of the wheel may be of any usual or suita le construction, the body of the wheel being provided with a felly c, which is preferabl adapted for the one on each side t ereof which may be held in position when assembled by suitable bolts 6. .As will 'be observed the side plates d roject radially beyond the central rib c of t e felly to form an annular slot-or channel f. The metallic tire g, which is formed, as usual, as a continuous annular band, is wardly-projecting rib preferably located centrally, adapted to enter and move freel in the annular slot or channel The meta lic tire is also provided, referably on each side of the central rib hand Chamhers for a suitable lubricant may be provided, if desired, as at k, in the opposed faces of the side plates (1.

The cushion portions of the tire, preferablypneumatic tubes 1, are interposed beat the outeredges,

tween the sideplates d and the inner face'of the tire one at each side of the rib h. If. frictiona adhesion between the tubes and the side plates h at the inner surfaces of the tubes and the tire g at the outer surfaces of the tubes is insufiicient to revent creeping of the tire upon the fel1y, t en, if desired, trans-- verse ribs may be formed on the outer faces of the, side plates and the inner face of the. metallic tire g, as at m to indent the elastic or cushion portions 1 oi circumferential movement of such tu es and of the metallic tire g with respect to. the wheel. If pneumatic tubes are used, the valved inflation-nip les may beprojectnd. throu h holes formed n. I it be desired also to cushion the initial metallic shockv of the tire upon the roadway, a bando' of solid rub of or othersuit able material may be applied to the periphery of the tire g, as shown in Fig. 3. l

In. assembling the several parts the pneumatic tubes or other cushion portions Z are. sprung into their respective recesses in therovided withan inthe tire and revent g5 in the slde plates, as at we solid the g,

side lates d are then ,tions I, an

which is then properly placed with relation to the body I) of the wheel. The

ressed into place, preferab y com ressing's ightly the cushion porare held in place by the bolts e. The proportions of the arts are preferably such that the tubes Z sl iall under ordinary v conditions be free at their sides, but shall bear snugly against the outer faces of the side plates and the inner faces of the tire 9, respectively, so that they shall thereby act as a seal to prevent dust and grit from reaching the center rib h and its bearing. It will be understood that in use the t re 9 moves axially with respect to the body of the wheel as the cushion portion is compressed at the lower portion of the wheel and is expanded at the upper portion of the wheel, the rib h moving freely in the slot f, the tubes or cushion portion expanding, as determined by the pressure, into the enlarged spaces, which are specially provided to accommodate such expansion within the encompassing walls of the '7' 0, thereby rotecting the 'fi'om harmfd time the wheel continues to be usable.

more, as the load is sustained by and distributed' over a much larger area of the cushion portion of the tire than vwhen the cushion I I portion is not encircled by an inelastic the the airressure within the tire may be con- 6 siderab y less This permits a chea er tire to be used, and the cost thereof is still I ther reduced in view of the fact that the use of a plurality of tubes permits each tube to be much smaller and to have but a fractional portion of the strength of the usual exposed pneumatic tire. Moreover, the r b h of the tire cooperating with the side plates d resists all of the side thrusts which would otherwise tend to wrench the force it from the felly.

I clai1n as my invention 1. The combination of a wheel-bod have ing a narrow felly, side plates detachahly secured against said fell them a circumferentia slot or channel, a metallic tire having an inwardly projecting rib engaging said slot or channel with a free bearing', anda cushion inte osed betweenoneof said side lates and j tirmsubstentmlj-lyaafid describe 2. The combination of a wheel-body 11w ing a narrow felly side la" es secured a ainst P g said felly and formin between them'a cirpneumatic tire and cumferential slot or c annel, a metallic tire 6 5 having an inwardlyrojecting central rib engaging said slot orclihnnel with a free bearing, and cushions interposed between said si e plates and said the on op osite si'desof said rib, substantially is-described.-

. This specification signed and witnessed this 15th day of September, 1905. a

- JOHN mnonsou.

In presence of TnoMAs J. CAN-TY,

BIGREELEY,

and forming between 5 5 i I 

